Stephanie Grisham, First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff and a former White House press secretary for President Donald Trump, resigned on Wednesday over the violent uprising on Capitol Hill, NBC News reported.
Grisham submitted her resignation letter Wednesday afternoon after pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol building. The uprising came after Trump gathered supporters in Washington to protest the congressional count of Electoral College ballots that would confirm the election of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden.
“It was an honor to serve the country in the White House. I am very proud to have been part of Mrs. Trump’s mission to help children everywhere, and proud of the many accomplishments of this government,” Grisham said in said a statement. .
Pro-Trump rioters entered the chambers where lawmakers conducted the procedural count of election votes. Lawmakers were evacuated to safe places.
Several law enforcement officials said a woman who was shot in the Capitol building during the chaos was killed. The National Guard and state forces were mobilized to stem the uprising.
Trump has urged insurrectionists to “go home” in a video posted on social media networks, while continuing to spread false allegations that the election was “stolen” by denied conspiracies of widespread voter fraud. Facebook, Google’s YouTube and Twitter removed the video and Twitter suspended Trump’s account for at least 12 hours.
Leaders of political parties and around the world have condemned the outgoing president and the violence on Capitol Hill.
Biden, in a national television speech, said: “At this hour, our democracy is under unprecedented assault, unlike what we have seen in modern times … President Trump, act.”
Many Republicans and Trump allies have admonished the president’s response to the uprising and the violent riots. Democrats spoke Wednesday to accuse the outgoing president or remove him from office by the 25th Amendment to the Constitution.
Congress resumed the process on Wednesday night to confirm Biden’s victory after the Capitol building was secured.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham (L) listens to US President Donald Trump with reporters before boarding Marine One and leaving the White House on November 8, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images